Make It a Good Day

A GOOD DAY doesn’t just happen. It’s requires mindfulness, intention, deliberation, commitment and a soft heart. No matter what’s going on in your life, no matter how you’re feeling emotionally, physically or mentally, you have the power to make it a good day for others and yourself. The Psalmist reminds us, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) Each morning, therefore, when you rise, resolve to…





Kindness at work





Too often the work place feels like a hostile place. Kindness and compassion flowing from just one person can make an enormous difference. Mike Teeley tells of being interviewed by a senior manager with a large insurance company. During the interview, Teeley spoke honestly, saying the main reason he was interested in the position was to keep his family in Boston. “My wife of 26 years had recently died of a heart attack. A job in Boston would help me reduce some of the extreme trauma and pain of the loss for my 16-year-old daughter. It was important to me keep her in her present high school,” he said. “Bruce, the interviewer, listened with empathy. After the 2nd round of interviews, Bruce invited Teeley to take a walk with him. Bruce explained that he also had lost his wife of 20 years. They had three children. Bruce then offered Teeley his business card and home phone number, suggesting that “should I need help or just want someone to talk to, I should feel free to give him a call. Whether I got the job or not, he wanted me to know that he was there if I ever needed help.” Looking back on that interview, Teeley writes, “From that one act of kindness, when he had no idea if we would ever see each other again, he helped our family deal with one of life’s greatest losses. He turned the normally cold business interview process into an act of caring and support for another person in a time of extreme need.”





Encourage people





Mark Twain advised, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” Similarly, German philosopher Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe wrote, “Treat a man as he appears to be and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he already were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be.” Or think about British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli’s observation, “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.” Behind those quotes is this understanding: Believing the best in people usually brings out the best in those people. We become their partners in their life evolution and success.





Acknowledge others





Express appreciation to your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, store clerks and all those who serve you. So many people feel their work is unappreciated and their lives unacknowledged. That understanding may have been in the mind of Saint Paul, who advised, “Encourage one another daily.” (Hebrews 3:10)





Focus on the positive





While we may not have a choice in what comes our way we always have a choice in how we respond to what comes. We can be fearful or courageous, pessimistic or optimistic, despairing or hopeful. The choice is always ours to make. No matter what comes your way, focus on the positive and the beneficial. Remind yourself:



I will be thankful – anyway!



I will be joyful – in spite of!



I will be happy – even though!



I will rejoice – nevertheless!



I will celebrate – in any event!



I will be glad – anyhow!



I will rejoice – nonetheless!





Help the hurting





When someone you know is hurting and experiencing a hard time, don’t ask if there is anything you can do. Think of something appropriate for the situation and do it. One woman who did that explains, “When my parents died, generous friends and neighbours brought food to my family’s home for all of us to share. My husband died eight years ago. Again, I was blessed with neighbours and friends bringing food and prepared meals. Recently, a friend’s father passed away. I knew I couldn’t attend the funeral because they live thousands of miles away – so I ordered a ham to be delivered to their home. My friend and her family haven’t stopped thanking me.”





Forgive and move on





Anger and resentment make us smaller, limited, confined. Forgiveness is freeing and expansive. When we are able to forgive we are able to move on. Author Jack Canfield offers this advice, “In the world of business, in families, and in personal relationships, we, too, need to come from a place of love and forgiveness – to let go so that we can move on. You need to forgive a business partner who lied to you and hurt your financially. You need to forgive a co-worker who stole credit for your work or gossiped about you behind your back. You need to forgive an ex-spouse who cheated on you, then got nasty during the divorce. You needn’t condone their actions or ever trust them again. But you do need to learn whatever lessons there are, forgive, and move on.”





Serve the less fortunate





Make it your habit to help others who are struggling to make ends meet. When Abraham Lincoln was practicing Law, he often helped people who were less fortunate. Once he sued a pension agent for charging an elderly widow $200 to secure a $400 pension. Outraged by the agent charging a 50 percent fee Lincoln offered to represent the woman free of charge. He also paid for the woman’s hotel room, and gave her money for a train ticket home. Those types of kind acts made Lincoln loved in his day and admired in ours.





Spread sunshine





Upon rising each morning, commit to being one who brightens the day for each person you encounter. Something as simple as remembering the birthday of a friend or colleague can have a large impact. Writer Keith Ferrazzi tracks the birthdays of people he is in contact with. Months earlier he met a man in the process of doing business. As they chatted, Ferrazzi “asked for his birth date, as I try to do with everyone.” Then, on that man’s birthday, that notation appeared as a reminder on his computerized calendar. Ferrazzi says, “I hadn’t spoken to him for over a year and I didn’t see the reminder until close to 3:00 pm that afternoon. Generally, I like to make birthday calls in the early morning. This way I get someone’s voice mail, and when they come in to work that morning, they’re greeted with my rendition ‘Happy Birthday’. So, Ferrazzi called the man, who answered his phone to hear a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ being sung. Then, there was a long pause of silence. Finally, the man tried to speak, but was audibly holding back tears and said, “You know, Keith, this year none of my brothers or sisters or family… well, nobody remembered my birthday. Nobody remembered. Thank you so much.”





Be humble





Those who practice the virtue of humility are unpretentious and modest. They do not think they are better or more important than others. Author Robert Louis Stevenson suggests this way of living, “There is an idea abroad among moral people that they should make their neighbours good. One person I have to make good: myself”. Maintaining humility should be a daily process. In his memoir, My Stroke of Luck, actor Kirk Douglas tells of having received this fax from a woman: “Dear Mr Douglas, my father, Paul Wilson, was a friend of yours back in the 40s. I understand that you even lived with the Wilson family when jobs were scarce. My father recently died, and amongst his papers we have found old playbills and clippings mentioning you. I would be happy to forward copies if you would like them. Please contact me. Gale Patron”.



With considerable humility and gratitude, Kirk Douglas wrote back these words, “Your fax made me very sad. I loved your father.” In fact, Paul Wilson had been a good, loyal and generous friend to Douglas when he was a struggling actor. Douglas explained to Ms Patron that he and Wilson “lost track of each other when I went to Hollywood, but that’s my fault. I know Paul. He wouldn’t want to seem to be interfering with my activities. It was really up to me…” The actor went on to write, “Why was I so self-centred? Why did I forget someone who gave me help and friendship when I really needed it? Gale, your father was a great guy, and a gentleman. We had a lot of fun together. Please forgive me for being so self-absorbed that I didn’t look up my old friend…” Kirk Douglas’ words should be an inspiration for all of us to practice humility on a daily basis.



Finally, resolve to be an angel. The Bible says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve…” (Hebrews 1:14) Consider this wisdom from author Tobias Palmer, “I believe in angels, in our capacity to move with angels, bearing light and music, through this time and place. Could you and I – like angels – learn to carry this good message?… Learn to be present when and where there is human need?”